Month: March 2014

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 87: You Got the Trollin’ in Me

gamersushi show ep 87

The break may have been a week longer than we intended, but a trio of GamerSushi editors took to the mic this week to bring you a new installment of your favorite podcast (or one of you favorites at any rate).

Because Eddy has a backlog of trolling he’s in fine form this episode, but despite that we still manage to yak about Titanfall and out experiences with the live version, Eddy’s dislike of InFamous: Second Son, some random bits of gaming news and the big deal of this week, Facebook buying Oculus.

I’m sure you know how it goes, but I’m going to remind you anyways: listen, rate and treat yo’self. See you next time!

0:00 – 2:03
2:04 – 20:52 Titanfall
20:53 – 27:46 InFamous: Second Son
27:47 – 29:51 Upcoming 2014 games
29:52 – 33:04 Assassin’s Creed: Unity
33:05 – 34:44 The Last of Us on PS4
34:45 – 37:44 EA giving Star Wars the “Batman Arkham” treatment/Telltale’s GoT game
37: 45 – 49:11 Facebook buys Oculus
49:11 – 52:12 Outro

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Respawn Releases Titanfall Matchmaking Update

If you’ve been playing Titanfall, you may have noticed that some of the matches can be a little one-sided at times, with opposing teams full of players several generations ahead of you. Most of the time this all comes out in the wash, but occasionally this results in a painful rout. Luckily Respawn is releasing an update that addresses a few of these concerns. This in particular caught my eye:

Rather than playing against the same opponents over and over, the game will periodically split the teams apart and search for new opponents for each team. This means if one team is dominating, we will update the skill for all of the players and then find each team a better suited match for the next round.

Read more here:
http://www.titanfall.com/news/titanfall-matchmaking-update

Facebook Purchases Oculus

facebook oculus rift

I can guarantee that no one saw this coming. Social media giant Facebook has just purchased Oculus, the company behind the VR-device Oculus Rift, for two billion dollars. That’s billion with a “b”, folks.

The Oculus team posted an update to their Kickstarter page, outlining why they though Facebook would be a good fit with Oculus technology and their excitement to work with Mark Zuckerberg.

Of course there’s been an Internet backlash over this; Markus “Notch” Persson of Mojang has announced that he’s canceled the Oculus version of Minecraft because thinks Facebook is “creepy”. Original backers are flipping out, saying that the VR company has sold out and are requesting refunds.

What do you guys think of this news? It’s certainly out of left field, that’s for sure. Is everyone making mountains out of molehills here? Should Oculus have consulted with their backers in some form first, or is this their right as an independent company? Go!

Sources – Oculus Kickstater Notch’s Twitter

President Obama Talks Smack in Titanfall

This video needs very little introduction, other than saying that someone who does a very good Obama impersonation plays a lot of Titanfall and pretends he’s the President of the United States. The results are pretty glorious, mostly because everyone else is playing along and enjoying the shtick.

Alien: Isolation Sounds Like a Great Game I Will Never Play

Polygon has a fantastic write-up about Alien: Isolation, a first person horror attempt at bringing the Alien franchise back to its roots. While most games try to emulate the space marines feel of James Cameron flick, Isolation plays with your expectations and pits you against one single-minded killing xenomorph.

I will never play this game because I am a wuss, but it sounds awesome.

Celebrate Katamari’s 10 Year Anniversary with Awesome Music

Crazy how time flies, huh? Katamari Damacy, that lovable game where you play as the Prince of the Cosmos, rolling all over the world in a great big ball, turns 10 years old today.

It’s interesting to think back on that time of my life, where I lived carefree in college and listened to that game’s rad soundtrack while driving all over Tallahassee. Who else has fond memories of Katamari Damacy?

Review: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

assassins creed 4 black flag review

After 2012’s less-than-stellar entry, the Assassin’s Creed series seemed poised to spend the last few years of its life cycle fighting irrelevancy. While Assassin’s Creed 3 might have sold well, it turned off a lot of people, myself (an admittedly hardcore fan of the franchise) included. Half-baked mechanics, buggy presentation and a bland protagonist were all parts of the gumbo of disappointment that was AC3.

Not long after that game released, Ubisoft announced a follow-up that would take place in the Caribbean during the Golden Age of Piracy. The new protagonist would be Edward Kenway, father and grandfather to the Assassin’s Creed 3 playable characters Haytham and Connor, respectively. With a game poised to take advantage of the naval combat introduced in AC3, could Black Flag right the ship? Continue reading Review: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

GamerSushi Asks: Spring Releases?

InFamous: Second Son

Finally.

We’re used to slight slumps in gaming. This hobby is defined by periods of feast or famine, it seems, and it’s just one of those things our gaming tummies have grown accustomed to over the years.

But now spring has arrived, and we’ve got a slew of new titles to nom upon, across a variety of platforms. In particular, my Playstation 4 has been mostly unused for the past month, but now it prepares for a helping of InFamous: Second Son, set to arrive later this week. Titanfall likewise graces PC and Xbox One, and Dark Souls II comes out for whatever systems people who care about that game own (if you’re confused about my disdain, listen to the podcast). Continue reading GamerSushi Asks: Spring Releases?

Prepare for Titanfall Roll Call

titanfall roll call

Last night at 9pm Pacific time, Respawn’s sci-fi shooter Titanfall finally dropped after what seems like the slowest couple of weeks in my recent memory. Despite a little technical hiccup (the server connection hung on the “initializing” screen for a while) I was able to play the game for a couple of rounds on launch night, so props to Respawn for that.

Overall I found my time with Titanfall to be fairly enjoyable, although in the early hours of the game’s lifespan a few things stuck out to me. While Attrition is fun, a score limit of 250 is quite small, especially if one team is running away with the match. Having such a low victory ceiling doesn’t allow room for a comeback, especially if the other team has four or so Titans on the field. Additionally, it seems like the Smart Pistol might be a bit more bothersome than I originally thought, although that could just be me not being used to countering it.

Since there’s such a groundswell of hype around this game, I thought it would be prudent to do a roll call for Titanfall. What platform (PC, Xbox One or 360) are you playing on? If you feel like it drop your tag into the comments!

Little Known Nintendo 64 Facts

It’s so fascinating to hear bits of our gaming history these days, especially with systems that I was old enough to read about and care about in the days leading up to their release. Here’s a video about the development of the Nintendo 64, including a list of really cool tidbits such as why Nintendo claimed to stick to cartridges, the system’s original name, how Goldeneye was developed and more.

I’ve got some fond memories of this fine machine. Crazy to think that it came out almost 20 years ago. What are some of your favorite N64 memories?

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 86: Sushian Knight

gamersushi show ep 86

It’s the same Sushi time, same Sushi channel. The crew is in your ears once again, talking all that sweet, sweet video game news. We know how you like it.

This week we talk about the Batman: Arkham Knight reveal along with the news that Amy Hennig left Naughty Dog. There’s also some conversation about what we’re playing and then we break down the Titanfall info leak that came out.

Speaking of Titanfall we won’t be on hand next week since we’ll be too busy blowing up huge robots, but we have something planned. Listen, rate and SWEAR TO ME. You know, because Batman.

0:00 – 3:29 Intro
3:30 – 12:06 Batman: Arkham Knight reveal
12:07 – 14:29 Gods Will be Watching trailer
14:30 – 21:20 Amy Hennig leaves Naughty Dog
21:21 – 31:41 What we’re playing
31:42 – 41:36 Titanfall info leak
41:37 – 46:07 The PlayStation 4 sells a lot
46:08 – 52:35 Outro

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Watch Dogs: New Release Date and the Reason for the Delay

watch dogs release date

When Watch Dogs was delayed last fall shortly before its release date, we were all sad pandas. Back then we didn’t know that Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag would be a rollicking good time, so Ubisoft’s modern-day tale about oppressive surveillance seemed like a sure-fire way to kick off the next gen.

Now here we are in the early months of 2014 and we’ve not only got Watch Dogs’ new release date of May 27, but also an explanation from the team behind it as to why they decided to delay the game. Continue reading Watch Dogs: New Release Date and the Reason for the Delay

Uncharted Series Writer and Creative Director Amy Hennig Leaves Naughty Dog

Sony officially confirmed today that Amy Hennig, long-time Naughty Dog employee and the creative director and writer of the Uncharted series, has left that studio. Internet scuttlebutt reports that she was “forced out”, which Sony doesn’t comment on.

Check Out The Official Trailer for Batman: Arkham Knight

This morning Batman: Arkham Knight got rumored and confirmed in a whirlwind of profession games journalism (hats off to you, boys) and now we have the first official trailer “Father to Son”. Rocksteady is once again taking up the cowl but this doesn’t look anything like a Silver Age Batman, which was rumored to be their next project. Batman: Arkham Knight drops this fall for the Xbox One, PS4 and PC. Check out the trailer below!

The GamerSushi Show, Ep 85: An Irrational Decision

the gamersushi show ep 85

We’re back from a one-week break with another GamerSushi Show. Nick skips out on this cast, but I’d like to think that the rest of us more than make of for the lack of his bearded tones.

For topics, we talk the Titanfall Beta, the Xbox One’s recent price cut in the UK and the closure of Irrational Games. We then cap it off with what we’re playing.

Alright, listen, rate and we’ll see you next time!

0:00 – 12:41 Intro
12:42 – 32:25 Titanfall Beta
32:36 – 37:59 Xbox One price cuts in UK
37:60 – 46:35 Ken Levine closes Irrational Games
46:36 – 1:05:22 What we’re playing
1:05:23 – 1:07:55 Outro

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